Invalid lifter



May 5, 1925.:

- H. H; CAMMANN INVALID LIFTER 7 Filed March 1, 1921" 3 Sheets- Sheet 1 7 I jige 'mannflfahmm AUQRNEYS Mai 5, 1925- I H. CAMMANN INVALID LIFTER 3 Sheets-Shae 5 Filed March 1, 1921 INVENTOR v W l'lrldll 1 and which maybe operated by the invalid himself if he has the use of his l'1a1'1ds,and with they least inconvenience and eflort.

; valid Lifters.

HERMANN n. C MMANN,

PATENTIIOFFIVCE.

or MYERRIGK, nEwYoRK.

' riwntrn; "LIFTER.

ApplicationfiledMarclr 1,1921. Serial No. 448,795.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IIERMANN H. CAM- MANN, United States citizen, residing in Merrick, county of Nassau, .Long Island, and State of NevvYork, have-invented'the following described Improvements in 'In- My invention, relates to apparatus for lifting and moving an invalid, as for eirample from one bed to another or to a chair, and has special, reference, among otherjthings, to such an apparatus that 1s collapsible for storage and transportation In the accompanying drawings, 1 shows-in elevation a lifter embodying my invention. Fig 2 is a larger elevation, ofa

part thereof, and Figs. 8 and 4t are,respectively, sectional elevation and plan of such part. Fig. 5 is a side view of the sling of Fig. 1', and Figs. 6 and 7, side and front elevations of another type of sling. Figs. 8, 9,10, 11 and 12 are details. a

As shownjin the drawings, a horizontal bar 1 supported by standards at a suitable height above the invalids bed as presently described, provides atrack for a wheeled truck or carriage 2'; thesling 4 for the patient is suspended from thecarriage atone end of a chain or cable 5hung over pulleys 6. and 7 on the carriage and fastened at its other end toa winch 8 also fixed to the car riage so as to move along the trackwith it.

this apparatus, but by way of examplemay comprise an upper metal frame work: having, for persons able, tosit erect, conveniently located straps forming a seat and body support (Fig. 5), and a support for the limbs or not as needed, or for recumbent.

ing drum 19 for the chain, suitable power multiplying-gearing connecting the latter to its actuating crank or handswheel 20 whichis so located on the framing 9 as to be within the reach of the patient when seated in the sling; the multiplying gearing enables the patient to turn thewinch him self. and thus raise himself unaided if he. is able to usehls hands, and as shown com prises two pai1'S..-, 0f"la1 ge and small gears 2122 and 2l 25 connected by an inter mediate shaft 23, thesmaller gearof each pair, being nearer the crank in each instance so that the small force an invalid is able to apply, is sufficient to, raise him; obviously other forms of multiplying gearing suitable for the same purpose may be substituted by the manufacturer for that. shown. Such gearing as that shown requires a pawl27 to lockit if the invalid is to be held elevated while the crank 20 is released and a ratchet 28 for this pawl may be fixed on the end of shaft 23 as shown. Toflower the patient after having been held elevated, obviously the pawl 27 (when used) is to be held or throwncompletely out of engagement with the ratchet and the patient then lowered gradually by gradually permitting the crank 20 to turn revorsely. In Fig. l the winch mechanism is shown on a larger scale than the rest of the lifter for better illustration.

The framing 9 is fastened to the carriage by the carriage bracket 11, the postv 10 of the framing, braced at 10 being extended extended sidewise to hold the framing un derneath the track as shown 111 Fig. 3 and also carries the pulley 7 while pulley" 6 is similarly held beneath the track stantially below the medial line of the carriage so that its wheels 3, which are at- ;ranged in pairs, bear equally on the track 'lhe'natureof, the sling is not importai'it to is guarded against on one side by the brackets themselves striking the track and on the upwards to'reach the bracket; the latter is other side by the bracket extensions 13 and l4 'st-rikingthe track-at the oppositeside.

Another crank or hand-wheel 38 on the framing is arranged to propel the carriage along the track through the agency of the .cranksprocket 4( chain ll and sprocket 42 fixed to the toothed'driving wheel 43 on the carriage; the latter meshes with a rack 44 fixed to -the-track bar and preferably placed between the carriage wheels 3, the driving vWheel then being on the medial line of the carriage. The driving.mechanism" may incorporate some power multiplication as represented by the dilferent diameters of the sprockets 40 and 42., The driving crank 38 is also located within the reach'of the patient so that ;fter..hav. 1ng raised lnmselt by means otthe crank 20 as' 'described (and having locked theelevating'mechanism by the pawl 27) the patient may rollthe carriage along the track at will and'thereby move himself about within the limits of the track. The hand-wheel 38 is preferably provided. with a number of radially extending handles as shown, tor-the greatenconveuience of the patient. The supporting standards 48 rest on feet on theiioor and supportthe ends of thetrack, and the latter is long enough to span not only a'bed, but also ajchair orother piece of "furniture placed beside the bed so that'the 'iiivalid may niove himself or be moved from one to the other and vice versa. The connection of the standards't'o the track is a releasable one as appears in Figs. 8' a-nd9 "wherein the'track is shownto rest between brackets 50 and 51 on the top of the standard, the first brael-Iet '50 having a hinged part 52 provided with one or more teeth 53 to engage with the't'eeth'ot the rack 4L4: to keep the track from sliding along the standardtop, while the second bracket 51 has a swinging latch .i l to lock'the hinged part ei'igaged with the rack. 'l lach foot of the "standards comprises two crossed bars 57 and 5S pivoted at 00 so that one bar may be turned beneath and into the same plane as the other when the machine'is taken apart't'or storage or transportation and the standard 48 is hinged to the top across bar 57'to told flat againstthebase at such a time (Fig. 11), spring latchesGl and 62 respectively lockthestandard upright and in 'lolded'posi- 'tion. Flatmetal-strip braces hinged to brackets 6-lon the cross barsand provided withrecesses tofit overip ns 65' on the standard, hold the lattersolldly upright when the machine is assembled and a sliding sleeve 66 then secures the braces onthe pins; the

brackets 6-il have sockets 67- to receive the respective braces, folded down-along side the respective bars 54";111Cl 58, when the apparatus is disassembled as is also shown in Fig.

11. A handle 70 may be provided for carrying eaehtloor standard and foot, being located. at about'thecenter of gravity of the unit.

It will now be'apparent that my "invalid litter incorporates various advantages that havealready been alluded to and may be used for lifting a patient while'his bedis changed as well as for moving him from his bed to a'chair or couch, bath,e,te.,a11d vice versa. It will be observed that the carriage and its attached'mechanisnrniay be lifted oil the track,'or after thctrackhas been s'eparate d'trom the standards (first rcleasing lat-chests) the/carriage and its attached mechanism may be rolled 'oil'one end thereof, thus separating the machine into four parts and making the structure easily transport-able and capable of ready 20, may be placed more remote ttromthe patient but more convenient tor the attendant as indicated by the dotted lines "at 2t which represent a raising and lowering cranksubstituted for and at the side otthe frame 9 opposite the crank 20 referred to before; for a machine for general uselpre'ter to extend the shaft 26 to the opposite sides of the frame as shown to permit 'theus'e of the "crank 20 interchangeably ateith'er end so as to suit both conditions. To assist in keeping the patient and'sling ironrturning while inthe air, the flexible suspension element 5 is preferably a relatively nontwisting one like the bicycle sprocket chain shown and this may be fastened tothes-hatt and drum19 as shown in Fig. 12; the shaftis 'a'hollow tube into which the end otthe chain extends through a suitable aperture; inside'the tube a pin 76 reaching from one end of the tube to the aperture is caught in the linkscitthe chain "while theend of the tube is closed by a screw cap'TS. By unscrewing the cap i8 and pulling out the pin the chain is released from the winch shaft; flanged heads 79 guide the chain, turn on turn, onto'tho shaft. The location out the elevatingand traversing cranks on the carriage causes them tomove with the invalidhnd always remain 'within hiseasy reach, and where an attendantis'needed permits the attendant to stand close to the sling, wherever itmay move, to steady it ifncessary and by'his presence reu'der theuseot the 'n'iachine-less objectionableto a helpless patient. In such a sling as is shown in Fig.6 the suspension elements are prett er- 'ably adjustable along the supporting bar tosuit the convenience ot'each patient,

the elei'ncnts being releasably fixed in each position by the square headed threaded bolts 75 asshown. The feet of the standards may be provided with casters so that'wlren not in "use temporarily, it may be moved back flat"aga1nst the wall where, from its shape, it is out of the way, and I1 refer to use casters'in which the wheels are quite large so that i'f'necessary the lifter may be 1. In an invalid litter, the combination with a track, a carriage thereon, means on the carriage for holdingthe patient, and mechanism -for moving the carriage along the track, of a member carried by the car riage and movable therewith for controlling the operation of said mechanism. v

2; In, an invalid lifter, an elevated track,

a carriage movable along the same, a device fixed to the carriageibelow the track to hold the patient, means for, raising and lowering said patient-holding dBVlCG and means for moving the carriage along the track, the

said raising and lowering means and caradjacent thereto as to be readily operable by a patient therein to raise said means, said mechanism incorporating power multiplying means. H

5. In aninvalid litter, the combination of an elevated track, a carriage movable therealong, a pulley on the carriage, a manual winch on the carriage below the pulley,

a flexible suspension member passing over the pulley and fastened atone end to the winch, and asling for the patient fastened to the other end of the flexible member, the

winch incorporating power multiplying gearing and having its operating member located adjacent the sling for operation by a patient therein.

6. The invalid litter of claim 5 sling for operation by a patient therein;

incorporating means for: moving the carriage along the track and having an actuating member for said means also located adjacent the 7. In an invalid lifter, the combination of an elevated track, a carriage, a pair of supporting wheels thereon running on oppo site sides of the track, a bracket on the carw riage extending beneath the track, means fixed to the bracket beneath the track for lifting the patient whereby both wheelsare caused toibear on the track, and means ber tween the carriage and track arranged tocome .into operation on the tipping of the carriage to prevent the latter leaving the track. j I I 8. In an invalid lifter, the combination of an elevated track, a carriage thereon, means suspended from the carriage for lifting the patient, a track engaging driving wheel on the medial line of the carriage, and means suspended below turning the driving wheel.

thehtrack for a 9. In an invalid lifter, the combination oi an elevated track having a rack along its medial line, a carriage provided with Wheels engaging the track at opposite sides of the rack, means suspended from the carriage for lifting the patient, a toothed driving wheel on the medial line of the carriage meshing with the rack, and means adjacent the patient for turning the driving wheel.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification. o

HERMANN I-I. CAMMAN-N. 

